Thailand - Simon Robinson, 27, UK National, failed to board his flight home, Bangkok, 27 July 2024

[angelina1]

Brit, 27, vanishes on holiday in Thailand as he made way to airport to fly home

Simon Robinson, 27, was in Thailand and was due to fly home from Bangkok on July 26 when he disappeared minutes away from the airport

www.mirror.co.uk

Brit, 27, vanishes in Thailand as he disappears just 5 MINUTES from airport

A BRITISH holidaymaker has vanished in Thailand with friends and family now launching a desperate bid to find him. Simon Robinson, 27, was due to fly home on July 26 – but never arrived. His …

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[Catdetective]

Quoting my own post to note that the Boston location referred to is probably Boston in the county of Lincolnshire, England.
(Hope I’m not the only US person who got confused thinking they meant Boston, Massachusetts, USA )

Don’t worry as I’m a UK websleuther and also got confused by the two Bostons!

 

[Inthedetails]

Random thoughts as someone who worked for a number of years in Thailand assisting foreigners in crisis.
- There are so so so many foreigners living and travelling in Bangkok. He wouldn't stand out unless he was exhibiting some extreme kind of behaviour.
- We saw a LOT of young men and a few young women with sudden onset mental health episodes usually linked to lifestyle factors like trying some new drug. I cannot count the number of young men who have had a complete breakdown in their mental health in Thailand and they had no hint before they travelled there. I've seen so much extreme behaviours - including booking and then missing flights - and it is so common - I would not rule it out.
- Also very common: men drawn in by an attractive 'date' then assaulted, robbed, sometimes drugged by them or their accomplices. Rarely someone might be killed. The Thai sex industry is everywhere and many, many tourists participate during their holidays. They do not tell their families or partners back home until forced to, when something goes wrong.
- Self harm - I have seen a lot of very sad outcomes.
- Gambling gangs/extortion - make friends with some friendly young foreigners who are on holidays, invite them somewhere, start with a friendly card game that gets progressively more threatening. March them to ATMs and demand money and maintain control of them until they pay.
- Drug deals gone wrong and drug intake gone wrong (overdoses).
- Taxi driver incidents: If he was enroute to the airport when his phone pinged, I hope Simon didn't get in an argument with a taxi driver. There are some pretty vicious taxi gangs out there and it's known that it's one of the few jobs that ex-prison inmates can easily get. Usually it's Thai people affected, but this was a historical, quite well known instance involving a foreigner www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/359730/aftermath-of-expat-killing
- He could be in hospital as an identified person; probably unlikely if he was enroute to the airport as he would have had ID in the car. Hospitals in Thailand will only provide limited treatment to foreigners without a guarantee of payment. I feel like this is less likely as social media is very widely used in Thailand and the case would have popped up in local media.
- Maybe he's arrested and the Thai government are just taking time to notify the British Embassy. IMHO that would be highly unusual, Bangkok police are usually pretty good at letting foreigners notify their embassies if they are detained, particularly in Bangkok.

Honestly based on the numbers I dealt with over a 4 year period, statistically I'd guess mental health issue, though it's obviously impossible to say given the limited information we have here.

This is so helpful! Thank you.

Since he announced he would be returning home, I'm thinking something bad already happened and he wanted outta there. Did he get into drug/gambling/sex trouble and hoped to avoid violence by leaving early, but it didn't work out?

The taxi info is worth considering too.

idk

 

[Catdetective]

Simon's Facebook

 

[charminglane]

This is so helpful! Thank you.

Since he announced he would be returning home, I'm thinking something bad already happened and he wanted outta there. Did he get into drug/gambling/sex trouble and hoped to avoid violence by leaving early, but it didn't work out?

The taxi info is worth considering too.

idk

Totally with you on this.

 

[StillDiggin]

He isn’t even from Boston so must of been a mix up in the first article. Sister has an update, Simon may of boarded a flight on Friday 26th July, she is waiting for a call back from police and the Helsinki embassy.

 

[Melt71]

It's good to see the family saying Interpol are involved. Having a formal missing persons report in the international network allows Thai police and other police forces to access far more records and to be more forensic in their search. The family may have been cautioned not to speculate - I would expect the police to be checking bank transactions, hotel footage and records (many hotels require a man to register any *guests* they may bring back to their room).

As far as we know, the phone ping is the only thing that places him potentially near the airport and there's no guarantee that phone was with him at all. While serious crime against foreigners is pretty rare in Thailand, petty theft - like phones - is rife.

Also a little sad to see in media things like "the family called the British Embassy but after no progress in finding Simon, turned to police". Embassy staff don't have a law enforcement role and can't just go out looking for people, it seems the family might have had some misconception about their role and this may have meant they didn't reach out to police quickly.

 

[slowpoke]

He isn’t even from Boston so must of been a mix up in the first article. Sister has an update, Simon may of boarded a flight on Friday 26th July, she is waiting for a call back from police and the Helsinki embassy.

The article I read said that his girlfriend “lives in Boston, where he is usually based.” (Link)

 

[Andreee]

It's good to see the family saying Interpol are involved. Having a formal missing persons report in the international network allows Thai police and other police forces to access far more records and to be more forensic in their search. The family may have been cautioned not to speculate - I would expect the police to be checking bank transactions, hotel footage and records (many hotels require a man to register any *guests* they may bring back to their room).

As far as we know, the phone ping is the only thing that places him potentially near the airport and there's no guarantee that phone was with him at all. While serious crime against foreigners is pretty rare in Thailand, petty theft - like phones - is rife.

Also a little sad to see in media things like "the family called the British Embassy but after no progress in finding Simon, turned to police". Embassy staff don't have a law enforcement role and can't just go out looking for people, it seems the family might have had some misconception about their role and this may have meant they didn't reach out to police quickly.

If he didnt board any flight, and his phone went dead as it were five minutes from airport, it would be interesting to note what is at or near the five minute driving range from the airport.

 

[tarabull]

Exactly where missing Brit disappeared on way to Thailand airport mapped

Family and friends remain concerned for Simon Robinson, 27, who was due to fly back to the UK on July 26 but appears to have vanished on his way to the airport in Bangkok

www.mirror.co.uk

ETA

 

[StillDiggin]

Sister is saying Thai Immigration has confirmed he has left Thailand and Simon boarded a flight on 26th July. It could well be the 05,46am flight no AY142 26 July. Let’s see if the focus on the search will now be Helsinki (Finland), MOO.
Helsinki mentioned here

Fears as son disappears in Thailand after phone 'detected in Bangkok'

Simon Robinson may have caught a flight to Helsinki instead of back to the UK - but he has made no efforts to contact friends or family

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[Quim The Extraordinaire]

Simon's Facebook

A recent (March 2020 — but the most recent on his FB) public post states that his mother had been declared a missing person and requested help locating her. I have not sleuthed her and hope she was located safe.

Seems like a strange coincidence.

JMO MOO ETC

 

[Andreee]

Sister is saying Thai Immigration has confirmed he has left Thailand and Simon boarded a flight on 26th July. It could well be the 05,46am flight no AY142 26 July. Let’s see if the focus on the search will now be Helsinki (Finland), MOO.
Helsinki mentioned here

https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...ster-news/fears-former-manchester-student-27-

http://

A recent (March 2020 — but the most recent on his FB) public post states that his mother had been declared a missing person and requested help locating her. I have not sleuthed her and hope she was located safe.

Seems like a strange coincidence.

JMO MOO ETC

I cant see where the sister says Thai Immigration confirmed Simon has left Thailand, just wondering. I do see though that on her fbk she says others have said he left there but she adds the words he may have.

 

[otto]

A 27-year-old man from Skegness has been reported missing after failing to return home after a trip to Thailand.

Simon Robinson went on holiday to Thailand on Monday, July 22, 2024 and was due to fly home on Saturday, August 3.

He then told family that he had changed his flight to Friday, July 26, 2024, but he never got on the plane, which the police have since checked. His last known location was in Bangkok, Thailand.

Reported missing: Skegness man who failed to return home from Thailand

His family are urging people to report any information to police

mylocal.co.uk

View attachment 522368

Was he visiting a woman he met online? Is there anything in his social media about meeting someone? It sounds like he arrived in Thailand on July 23, changed his mind, rescheduled return flight three days later, then vanished 5 minutes from airport on July 26.

I'm curious about his time in Thailand, where he stayed, ate, spent money. He might have been overwhelmed by the environment and experienced mental health reactions, or he might have planned to meet someone and it didn't work out.

July 22 - left UK for holiday in Thailand
? - changed return date
July 26 - new departure date; phone turned off, missed flight
August 1 - 27th birthday
August 3 - original departure date


"A former University of Manchester student has disappeared after a trip in Thailand, his family and friends have announced. Simon Robinson, 27, who is from Skegness, Lincolnshire, was due to fly back to the United Kingdom on July 26, and was set to board the plane at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

His phone was detected in Bangkok, but was switched off with no attempts made to contact friends or family. His sister Sarah has told the M.E.N is now being investigated that he may have caught a flight to Helsinki instead of back to the UK.
...

Family told the Manchester Evening News on Monday that police were investigating another possible lead; that Simon had caught a different flight to Helsinki on July 26."

Fears as son disappears in Thailand after phone 'detected in Bangkok'

Simon Robinson may have caught a flight to Helsinki instead of back to the UK - but he has made no efforts to contact friends or family

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[Inthedetails]

Was he visiting a woman he met online? Is there anything in his social media about meeting someone? It sounds like he arrived in Thailand on July 23, changed his mind, rescheduled return flight three days later, then vanished 5 minutes from airport on July 26.

I'm curious about his time in Thailand, where he stayed, ate, spent money. He might have been overwhelmed by the environment and experienced mental health reactions, or he might have planned to meet someone and it didn't work out.

July 22 - left UK for holiday in Thailand
? - changed return date
July 26 - new departure date; phone turned off, missed flight
August 1 - 27th birthday
August 3 - original departure date


"A former University of Manchester student has disappeared after a trip in Thailand, his family and friends have announced. Simon Robinson, 27, who is from Skegness, Lincolnshire, was due to fly back to the United Kingdom on July 26, and was set to board the plane at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

His phone was detected in Bangkok, but was switched off with no attempts made to contact friends or family. His sister Sarah has told the M.E.N is now being investigated that he may have caught a flight to Helsinki instead of back to the UK.
...

Family told the Manchester Evening News on Monday that police were investigating another possible lead; that Simon had caught a different flight to Helsinki on July 26."

Fears as son disappears in Thailand after phone 'detected in Bangkok'

Simon Robinson may have caught a flight to Helsinki instead of back to the UK - but he has made no efforts to contact friends or family

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Did he meet someone from Finland while in Thailand and wants to spend time with that person in privacy? But then why alert his girlfriend he was coming home early?

jmo

 

[otto]

I'm also curious whether the phone was with him, or with someone else who switched it off 5 minutes from the airport on the day that he was scheduled to leave. The above link says "switched off".

The flight change, how was that done? Phone? In person? Online?

 

[Teche]

http://

I cant see where the sister says Thai Immigration confirmed Simon has left Thailand, just wondering. I do see though that on her fbk she says others have said he left there but she adds the words he may have.

This large airport must have videos of passengers boarding the plane and verification of passport and ticket use.

 

[otto]

Did he meet someone from Finland while in Thailand and wants to spend time with that person in privacy? But then why alert his girlfriend he was coming home early?

jmo

Serpent was mentioned upthread. The BBC program is available on Netflix. In that case, stolen passports were altered to create a false record that the victim had left Thailand. CCTV makes that impossible today.

Maybe he flew to Helsinki, but something about it doesn't sound right.

 

[Inthedetails]

Serpent was mentioned upthread. The BBC program is available on Netflix. In that case, stolen passports were altered to create a false record that the victim had left Thailand. CCTV makes that impossible today.

Maybe he flew to Helsinki, but something about it doesn't sound right.

From appearances, it seems like he took action to end his visit to Thailand short. He alerted people he was leaving. And, he did indeed get on a flight, but not to UK.

So, I'm wondering if he took the first available flight to a European country just to get out of Thailand, or he if really wanted to go to Finland.

I watched Serpent on Netflix years ago - very good binge series! The clothes in themselves are worth watching. Stylish!

jmo

 

[Tealgrove]

Why would he fly to Helsinki?

If he changed his flight and was headed to the airport why choose to go to Helsinki rather than take his flight home?

It makes no sense.

MOO